Farm-gate



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

L. T. NICHOLS.

FARM GATE.

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2..

L. T. NICHOLS.

FARM GATE.

No. 3Z.7,894.

Patentsd 00L/:Qi 1885.

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UNITED Str-Mins PATENT OFFICE.

L. TQNIOHOLS, OF ELLING'ION, MINNESOTA.

FARM- GATE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters `Patent: No. 327.894, datedOctober 6, 1885.

Application filed June 9, 1885.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, L. T. NIcHoLs, a citizen of the United States,residing at Ellington, in the county of Dodge and State of Minnesota,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Farm-Gates, ofwhich the following is a specification, reference being had therein tothe accompanying drawings.

Figure 1 is a perspective view showing the gate closed. Fig. 2is alikeview showing the gate open. Fig. 3 is a detail of the latch. Fig. 4 is adetail of the trip, showing it extensible.

This invention relates to farm or like gates, and is of that particularclass knownl as swinging gates;77 and the points of novelty relate tosuch construction and combination of parts as will produce awellbalanced and easily opened or closed gate, and that shall beespecially adapted to avoid exposure to the wind, and that can beoperated by hand or carriage-wheel, and is peculiarly simple and strongin structure and efiicient in operation, all as will now be more fullyset out and explained.

In the accompanying drawings, A denotes the gate, and B the rear post,to which it is suitably hinged by its rear vertical piece, A', and B'the front post, on which it is fastened or latched when closed, as bylatch b. This is preferably the outer end of a spring, b', whichprojects through the front vertical piece, a, of the gate, and issecured at the other end in the middle horizontal rail, a', of the gate.On this latch there may be a roller, b2, to insure the greatestefficiency of operation. This gate is made of any suitable number ofvertical strips or pieces, a and A', and horizontal pieces or strips a'.These pieces a a' are all quite wide and rather thin, and are setedgewise-thatis, with their thinnest parts at right angles to the lengthof the gate. The

' object of thus placing these pieces is to secure the greateststrength, and also that the gate shall offer the least possible surfaceto the wind. This is a matter of very large moment in prairie country,where the winds are at times so severe as to be very destructive onfences, gates, and all such structures. In order further to lessen theresistance to the wind, I use longitudinal or horizontal wires a2, ex-

Serial No. 169,172. (No model.)

tending between the end pieces, a A', and

in the same line with the gate the horizontal piece O, which extends ashort distance over the gate in one direction and beyond it in theother. This piece C constitutes the lever by which the gate is operated,as will be hereinafter described. It may be further supported by theinclined braces c o, which connect it with the frame of the gate.

To or upon the outer end of the piece O is fixed the broad piece D, soas to present its full surface to the wind. I denominate this thewind-board or vane This is of a generally triangular shape, its widestportion being most distant from the gate. It will afford veryconsiderable aid in the opening or closing movements of the gate, as itssurface will act as an equalizer when the wind is blowing, since therewill be about the same wind-pressure on it as on the gate. also serve ina very useful degree as a counterbalance to the gate. This shape is ofpeculiar advantage, as the apex of the triangle which is toward the gateis very sharp, while the body of the wind-piece is extended out beyondthe gate to a considerable distance, thus insuring the results justmentioned.

Vhen the gate is fully opened, it is held open by means of the catch con the post E placed by the side of the driveway.

The operation of opening and closing I will now explain.

Upon the outer and inner ends of piece O are placed pulleys F and F'.Round these are passed the chains or cords g' g2, which, united, as atg, are extended forward and over the top of the front vertical post, a,of the gate, which is extended a little above the upper line of the gateand then secured to the end of the latch b. If desired, there may be astaple or roller von the top of this piece a. The chain or rope gextends on one side of the gate from the pulley or block F to the pulleyor block F2 on the arm g3 of the post G. Said post is placed by the sideof the driveway and about or exactly in line with the It will IOl postsB and E, and thencesaid rope or chain extends down to and is fastenedupon the trip H at its bend h, which is at a suitable distance from theend, for a purpose to be hereinafter explained. This trip is suitablyfastened upon a level with the driveway, so that it turns upon itshorizontal lower end portion, h2, while the bent portion h3 nearest theroadway is designed, when up, to be met and turned down by theapproaching carriage-wheel. It will be noted that this trip is not atall below the surface of the ground. In like manner as above described,the chain or rope g2 extends from a pulley, F, to the pulley or block F0n or near the rear end of the piece C, and thence to block or pulley F3on arm fi, attached to the upper end of the post I, placed by the sideof the driveway on the side of the gate opposite to the post G, saidpost being preferably in line with posts B, E, and G. At the foot ofsaid post I is a trip, H, in all details of construction like the tripH, before described.

To open the gate, the cord or chain g or g2 beneath the pulley or blockF2 or Fa is pulled by hand, or operated by the carriage-wheel throughthe trip H or H. This pressure acts eventually upon the latch b, whichis released from its catch, and the continued pressure or pull upon thesaid cord or chain opens Vthe gate wide till its latch engages on thecatch e on post E and the gate is held open. The motion of opening, aswell as of closing, is very materially assisted by the counterbalancingweight of the wind boardor vane, as before suggested. The traveler onhorseback or in a carriage now passes through the gate. In the formerinstance he pulls on the cord g or g2, as the case may be, and thusreleases the latch from catch e; but if in a carriage, the wheel on thatside will strike against the upwardly-projecting bent part h3 of thetrip H,

and turn the trip down, and thus drawing on the cord 0r chain willrelease the latch in the same manner.

It will be observed that the cord k,attached to the outer free end ofthe trip H and passing through the pulley or block K on an arm on theupper end of the post G, has at its other end a weight, k. By this meansthe trip H will always be automatically returned to a vertical positionafter the gate has been opened or closed, and thus be always ready to bestruck by the wheel approaching in either direction, so that the actionof the wheel on it will open the gate, and afterward the wheel acting onthe trip on the opposite side will release the gate. The operation onthe trip H or H is the same and the result is the same.

The automatic closing of the gate is caused by the weight L, and not bythe trip mechanism, as usual. This weight is on the end of rope or chainZ, which passes through lthe pulley or block M, on an extension of thetop of the post M, and thence to the outer end of the fan D, where it issecured. In this way the fan is made to act as alever. The post M isplaced conveniently near to the rear gatepost, B.

To the trips H and H the cord or chain is fixed at h, a short distancefrom its end, so that when the trip is turned outward-that is, away fromthe gate-the cord or chain will be caused to pass over and rest on theupper bent end, h', of the trip, and thus be taken up by the upper bendin the trip, so that it shall be sufficiently taut for accomplishing itsfunctions, as above described. If this arrangement were not made, thecord or chain, when the trip is so turned, would be too slack. I may usestaples instead of the pulleys or blocks F F F2 F3. The upper end of thetrip H is made to slide in the tubular lower portion, as shown in Fig.4, so that the length of the trip can be adjusted to suit all conditionsby means of set-screw h4.

It will be noted that the structure of the parts of the gate and thecombination thereof are such as to insure not only extreme facility inoperating the gate, but that in accomplishing this end there has been nosacrifice in the strength or the durability 0f the gate and itsattendant parts. On the contrary, its structure is exceptionally strong.It will also be observed that in many details there may be merelymechanical changes in the several parts, which shall not in any wisechange the nature or scope of my invention.

What I consider new and patentable lis 1. The gate A, having strip C,fixed to its rear vertical piece, and the triangular wind pieceor vaneD, secured thereto, combined with the chain or rope g, and ropes g g2,passing, respectively, over pulleys F F2, F F, and F3, and posts G andI, upon which pulleys F2 and are placed, substantially as and for thepurposes set forth.

2. In a gateactuating mechanism, the trip H, bent at its upper end at hand h', and in its lower part at h3 and at h2, where it is journaled tothe ground, combined with a rope or chain attached to said bend h, andconnecting with the gate-latch and with the weighted cord orY chain k,attached to its upper part, h', substantially as shown, and for thepurposes described.

3. The trip H, having two upper bends, h and h', journaled to the groundat h2, and attached at its upper bend, h, to the rope or cord connectingwith the gate-latch, and the pulley on the upper end of the contiguouspost, in combination with the weighted cord K, passing over the same andattached at one end to the bend h of the trip, whereby, when the trip isturned outward or away from the gate the said rope is kept taut andready for action, substantially as described.

4. The combination of the gate, its latch b', and the rope g, connectedthereto, with the pulleys F F F on piece C, the wind-board D, theautomatically-closing weighted cord Z, at-

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rear the triangular vane D, combined with the post M, cord or chain Z,and weight L, Where- I5 by the gate will present the least space to theWind and be balanced by the Wind-Vane and automatically closed by theWeight, all as shown and described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in 2o presence of twowitnesses.

L. T. NICHOLS.

Vitnesses:

NVM. A. GARNIER, B. LEWIS BLAoKFoRD.

